The Kent Board of Education held its regular meeting on Thursday, April 1, 2010. Present were:  Chairman Tracy Horosky, Kendra Galusha, Carol Kallstrom, Patti Leo, CiCi Nielsen, Superintendent of Schools Patricia Chamberlain, Asst. Principal Leonard Gulotta;  also present were teacher Lee Sohl and one member of the press.

Tracy Horosky called the meeting to order at 5:32 p.m.

1. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA:  Patti Leo made a motion to:

            Approve the agenda as presented.

The motion was seconded by Kendra Galusha and approved unanimously.

2.  APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  Patti Leo made a motion to:

            Approve the minutes of the February 11, 2010 special meeting, as written.

The motion was seconded by Carol Kallstrom and approved unanimously.

CiCi Nielsen made a motion to:

            Approve the minutes of the March 4, 2010 regular meeting, as written.

The motion was seconded by Carol Kallstrom and approved unanimously.

3.  COMMUNICATIONS:  a) High School Student Report – Senior Dylan Moore spoke about his four years at HVRHS.

b)  COMMENTS  - Kendra Galusha commented on a newspaper article about the Cornwall Board of Education discussing keyless locks and gender discrimination.

c) Written – None

4. PRINCIPAL’S REPORT:   In Dr. McGeehan’s absence, Assistant Principal  Leonard Gulotta gave the report.  See attached.  In addition, he shared works from the 4th Grade Arts Day which is sponsored by the Arts Fund for Region One;  he also reported on a 7th grade photography workshop given by Annabell Clark, sponsored by artsAlive.
The middle school play, Beauty & the Beast, was a great success, with a standing ovation at the night performance.

5. COMMITTEE REPORTS:  a) High School Report – none

b) Building Committee – In Scott Harvey’s absence, Tracy Horosky reported that the committee is exploring the best way to repair the roof, and the amount in the capital plan is sufficient to cover the repair.

c) Budget:  A meeting date of April 19th at 5:00 p.m. has been set to review the current budget year.

d) All Boards Chair – Tracy Horosky reported that the committee met on Monday and had good representation from boards of finance and selectmen in Region One.  A switch in health insurance from Blue Cross/Blue Shield to Aetna is being considered with a possible saving for the region of about $400,000.

 e) Wellness Committee  –  Patti Leo reported that the matrix is finalized.

f)  Math Curriculum  - Kendra Galusha reported that they are waiting for teacher feedback on samples from Prentice Hall.  Patricia Chamberlain will request samples on Singapore Math.

6.  SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS’ REPORT:  a) Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain – See attached.

-     7.  OLD BUSINESS:  a) The Board agreed with the words used to clarify the Code of Conduct in the Kent Center School Handbook.

     b)  2010-2011 Budget – Cici Nielsen made a motion to:

                  Approve the 2010-2011 Kent Board of Education budget, which shows a         2.37% increase in the Kent Center School budget and a -3.03% decrease in       the Pupil Services, HVRHS and Administrative Services budget.  The total   Board of Education expenditure is $6,220,339, which represents a 0.15%             total increase.

     The motion was seconded by Patti Leo and approved unanimously.

8.  NEW BUSINESS:  a) Tuition student – Chris and Gabriele Kartchner requested that their daughter be permitted to continue to attend Kent Center School next year as a tuition student.

Carol Kallstrom made a motion to:

            Allow Mia Kartchner to attend grade 5 at Kent Center School for the
            2010-2011 school year as a tuition student, with an increase in tuition of            2.37%.
 (This   represents the amount of increase in the Kent Center School budget for next year.)

The motion was seconded by Cici Nielsen and approved unanimously.

     b) Capital Plan – Patti Leo made a motion to:

                  Defer the capital window project from the fifth to the sixth year.

    The motion was seconded by CiCi Nielsen and approved unanimously.

    c)  Transportation Policy – The Board modified the wording of Policy 3541 which refers to kindergarten students riding the school bus.  The policy will include that older children at the same bus stop as a kindergartner may ride the bus if room is available.  The Board will approve the policy at the May meeting.

      9.  COMMENTS:  None

10. ADJOURNMENT:  CiCi Nielsen made a motion to:

            Adjourn at 7:00 p.m.

The motion was seconded by Kendra Galusha..

Respectfully submitted,

Barbara Lynch
Secretary to the Board

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